Sorry for the very, very delayed update. I've got no real reason this time...but I'm back. Hope you enjoy the chapter (:

Eleven ~

As night crept in, it was only then that Sakura began contemplating whether making a break for it was safe while being stowed away in a house full of criminals; she was in the same room as one, and if she succeeded to get past him, there were at least seven others.

Oi.

Days passed, and with each came a new-found lack of patience for the fact that her skills as a shinobi were underused or of no good use at all.

Well...shit.

Sasori had taken the liberty of letting her sleep on her own rather than with him, and Sakura found herself wondering how light of a sleeper he was or was not. By now, she knew if she was to be killed, Sasori wouldn't be the one to do it, so she tried her luck.

Suppressing her chakra as much as possible, Sakura eased herself off her cot and onto the floor. The loudest part of this would be her heartbeat, which hopefully none of the Akatsuki had the ability to hear.

Reaching a midpoint in the room, Sakura glanced first to the door, then the window. The window would be the most convenient escape, were it not next to Sasori's head. Heaving a silent sigh, Sakura headed in the direction of the door, knowing it would be her best bet out.

With the turn of the knob and each inch she pulled the door open, Sakura kept her gaze behind to her assure that Sasori had not woken up. Thankfully, he had yet to, but that did not mean he wouldn't once the door was shut behind her.

Once the task of shutting the door was complete, Sakura stood nervously in the hall, listening for any indication of her captor being conscious. There was not.

One foot fell in front of the other as she edged towards the stairs, attempting to keep an eye out in the blinding darkness. As her feet reached the floor, a noise caught her attention, and her head shot up to survey where it had come from.

In the blackness it was hard to make out anything, but she had to try. Focusing, she honed in on the chakra and felt a lump in her throat. The chakra source was too prominent to be closed behind a door, where any of the dormant members were. Instead, it was a couple yards away, lingering through the next door frame.

Holy hell.

Depending on whom the chakra belonged to, she had a better chance of escaping, or at the very least, surviving. Part of her prayed it was the irritable blonde, for he knew better than to hurt her. There was no guarantee he wouldn't, but it was more of a plausible outcome then if the chakra was radiating from the psychotic immortal. Knowing better, he was awake one way or another.

Shit.

Fuck.

Bitch.

Damn.

An array of colorful swears ran through her head continuously as she eased herself against the wall, careful to avoid doorways. As she inched closer to what she presumed was the exit, the chakra faded away.

Too quickly.

She froze, fearful of where the presence had suddenly gone. If it had gradually faded, she wouldn't have worried, but it had disappeared completely.

Pressing her head back to the wall, she inhaled deeply and held her breath, praying for a somewhat positive outcome.

The chakra reappeared, strong, only a few feet away from her. Sakura kept her eyes screwed shut, too afraid to open them and see what stood before her.

It wasn't like her to be so frightened, but knowing one of the most elite shinobi was standing before her with the ability to easily off her was a lot to take in.

Fingers ran through her hair, and she attempted to crawl up the wall to pry herself from the touch. If she was lucky, she was keeping herself blind from the sight of Sasori before her.

No. It was the same chakra that had been present before. Sasori had still been in his room at that point.

Shit.

Her breathing was ragged, though she kept it as stable as she could. Part of her longed to open her eyes to knew who she may have to fight, but the other knew it would provoke too great of an anxiety to help her.

Mind spinning, the voice that spoke to her sounded diluted, keeping her from placing it completely.

The words gave her a distinct idea whom they were coming from though.

"You're quite lovely, especially when you're frightened."

The choice of words, the way they had been purred, not said. While it wasn't completely the voice she knew, her fear was distorting everything.

For all she knew, it could belong to someone she didn't know.

The fingers trailed from her hair, down past her ear and neck to her collarbone. There, they stopped, then crept back up to wholly lay on her neck.

What was he going to do? Strangle her?

"A shinobi that is scared to open her eyes? Hah."

Sakura's head spun, but the statement irritated her. Yes, she was scared, but it wasn't like her to let someone know it.

"I'm not."

With that, she opened her eyes, coming face to face with only one eye. The sight made her attempt to back up, momentarily forgetting there was a wall to her back.

"He'll kill you if he sees you touching me," she threatened, ignoring the fact that she couldn't give a damn about Sasori. She only used the puppeteer as her excuse to keep her safe from the rest of the Akatsuki.

"You're the one trying to run away from him, un," the blonde stated, trailing his fingers down her jawbone until they dropped completely. "If you really want to go, I could let you."

There was something sick in his voice; it was the way he said it, not the choice of words. The statement sounded far too easy to come without strings.

"For what?" She snapped, knowing well that she was playing herself for a fool if she thought there were no strings.

He laughed, a smirk tugging lightly at half of his mouth.

"You're a smart girl. Tell me what a man in his early twenties would accept in trade for something like this, un."

The look in his visible eye made her nauseous. It wasn't as if Sasori hadn't made a move on her, but he had never forced it. Nor had he alluded to the fact that he would take every advantage he could.

"Fuck you," she spat, attempting to squirm away from him. "I would rather go crawling back to him."

Deidara laughed, as if he found her response stupid.

"Attaining your freedom by one little favor, or staying captive and letting your life go by as you sit next to a man old enough to be your father."

His words stung. It was a harsh reality, but he had a valid point.

"There's no guarantee you'll actually let me go. For all I know..."

"For what, un? Sasori will believe every word you say. If you agreed, keeping you or killing you couldn't be a solution."

It was a foul thought, but it would win her freedom.

Unless, for some reason, he was gay as she'd first thought and wanted her to find him a guy.

That would be too easy as well, plus, she was quite sure this headcase was straight.

Dammit.

"If I do this..."

"You'll have your freedom."

I don't believe you...

The offer seemed too good to be true, but Deidara had a point. Sasori would trace it back to him if she were found dead, and if he let her stay afterward, she could rat him to Sasori, who would likely kill his partner for doing so.

She felt like vomiting, but it was the closest thing to a solution.

"Fine."

Deidara snickered, and she waited for him to take back his offer. As he slunk away, she watched him warily.

"You following me, un, or hoping I'll let you run? I'm nice, but not that nice."

Nice wasn't her choice word for him. Swallowing her pride and fear, she fell into line quite a bit behind him, mentally preparing herself for the furthest depth of hell.

Ironically, it was the only one getting her out.

No soundtrack to this chapter, and I recognize that it's taken a dark turn. Hope you liked it, and once again, sorry for the delay.

Thank you for all the reviews in the meantime!